Why Narcissistic Relationships Feel Like Addictions

Because an addiction to a narcissist’s love-bombing creates a dependence on acquiring more love-bombing as a source of emotional equilibrium. Enjoying love-bombing for its happiness and self esteem boosting brain response initiates a cascade of neuro-chemicals that fosters an addiction just as using drugs foster an addiction to an external source to try to keep making oneself feel better.

Using a trauma bonded non-relationship (it’s a non-relationship because a narcissist’s lack of empathy prevents them from relating to other’s feelings) with a narcissist as an emotional crutch creates an external locus of control and dependence on that source of happiness with oneself and one’s confidence in being able to work things out with others. Our happiness with ourselves is most stable when we don’t need anything from another person to be happy with ourselves.

When a narcissist love-bombs a victim, or they provide their victim with a source of happiness that can be taken away (like offspring, money, a job, etc.) or if a victim is the child of a narcissist; the abuse they experience along with intermittent episodes of what may appear to be normalcy, the victim’s brain can form an emotional bond through the release of such chemicals as oxytocin, endogenous opioids, endorphins, and dopamine. Then through intermittent episodes of abuse and…